At about 3:30 p.m. Monday -- roughly the same time that a recount of Erie's April 3 mayoral vote concluded -- four candidates for the town's Board of Trustees filed a formal request that an entirely new municipal ballot be issued to Erie voters.

Trustee candidates Dan Woog, Robb James, Al Mezarina and Larry Aniuk -- the four candidates not elected to the town board earlier this month -- sent a formal request to town attorneys Kristin Brown and Mark Shapiro as well as the sitting board members, citing a "significant flaw" on the original mail ballot.

The flaw was confusing ballot language directing voters to "vote for one (3)" candidates for trustee.

Three board seats were up for grabs April 3. Voters elected Janice Moore, Paul Ogg and Jonathan Hager.

The request filed Monday said the error was not rectified by a mail notice sent out by the town after the mistake was discovered.

"Many had already cast their ballot and others may not have seen the notice," the candidates wrote. "We feel that this error or mistake was sufficient enough to change the results of this election. Re-issuing a new ballot would insure that this election was credible and just."

They wrote that "approximately 463 trustee votes were missing" and that an analysis indicates many residents voted for only one trustee candidate.

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"We sort of realized what had happened when some of the candidates' spouses started talking with their friends and they said, 'I voted for so-and-so but I didn't realize I could vote for more,'" James said. "We just weren't sleeping well at night -- and I know some trustees sitting on the board already feel the same way -- knowing that the voters were disenfranchised."

The town had not yet responded to the request Monday night.

Recount affirms mayoral election

Also Monday, the vote to re-elect Mayor Joe Wilson was upheld in a recount by a new margin of 40 votes over challenger Cheryl Hauger.

Hauger called for a recount Monday in the close election.

While the April 3 vote count came back in favor of Wilson -- 1,840-1,799 -- the tally shifted slightly in the recount, showing 1,837 in favor of Wilson and 1,797 for Hauger.

"The vote went down two for Hauger and down three for Joe," Erie Town Clerk Nancy Parker said. "There's a margin of scanning error over 3,000 ballots. That's well within the expected margin."

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